Posted on June 8, 2026
OUTER BANKS, NC. (WAVY) – Officials in Dare County say they are moving forward with a beach replenishment and jetty repair project in Buxton. The goal is to protect critical infrastructure, including Highway 12, power lines, and homes at risk along the shoreline.
The project is set to begin once beach nourishment in Avon is complete. From there, crews will head south to Buxton to pump 2 million cubic yards of sand onto the beach.
“The estimated completion date is about 90 days,” said Dare County Projects Manager Dustin Peele, “so, in the middle or end of September, but all of that is weather dependent.”
This comes after another home in Buxton collapsed on June 2nd, the 20th to fall since September of last year.
In addition to beach nourishment, Dare County is also moving forward with the repair of the jetty just north of Old Lighthouse Beach.
“The jetty, as it currently sits right now, has several gaps of varying sizes. When we’re finished with the project, it should be very similar to what it once was when it was first constructed in 1970,” said Peele. “With the groin project, when we repair it, in connection or conjunction with finishing the Buxton Nourishment Project, our belief is that sand accretion will start to take place. So, sand will build up from the ground and work its way north.”
The target finish date for the jetty is December 31. However, should the project experience delays, Peele says the county will require a significant completion milestone by December 15.
“We define significant completion as 450 linear feet of the permitted 640 feet,” said Peele, “once they achieve that, if necessary, we’ll allow them to come back and finish the remainder of the project by June 1, 2027.”
As for what’s to come for the at-risk homes along the Buxton shoreline, Peele says it depends on where the houses sit after the new dune line is set.
“Anything landward is still considered private property,” said Peele, “so, the burden to make repairs and do whatever they feel is necessary to protect their structure falls on them.”
However, this is not the case for structures on the other side of the new dune line.
“Anything seaward of that dune line, the land the structure sits on is no longer private anymore. It’s on public beaches and state waters,” said Peele. “The structure either needs to be relocated to another piece of property that is owned by the property owner, or it needs to be taken down because it will no longer meet the requirements to get a permit.”
Peele says bids are currently being taken for the jetty repair project. They expect to present those bids to the board of commissioners at the meeting on June 9.
To learn more on the Buxton beach replenishment and jetty repair projects, click here.
